This is a fresh way of living and looking at life! Instead of simply feeling happy or sad based upon your life circumstances, try elevating your life circumstances by appreciating the good things.

This might seem self-evident or redundant to some people, and impossible to others. But after an awakening in 2009, I have come to believe that elevating your life is possible through thinking about positive things and feeling positive emotion.

What changed me from grumpy to cheerful? After years of debilitating depression and rotten life circumstances to match, someone finally told me, in words I could understand, the big secret of life. If your life sucks and you’re anxious to improve it, all the effort in the world will not necessarily make it better. Sure, it might help temporarily, but eventually your life is going to reflect your feelings. So, if you’re feeling good, your unwanted life circumstances will gradually improve until those circumstances give you reasons to feel good.

Let me tell you how I tested this theory when I first heard about it: I love to play solitaire. Everybody knows that solitaire can be hard to win. I started taking note of how I was feeling as I played, and it became quite obvious that I won more when I was happy. It seems ridiculous, but it actually turned out to be true.

No doubt you’re familiar with the extensive research proving that stressed-out people get more ulcers, heart attacks, and strokes than people who can relax and enjoy life. And we’ve all heard how everybody died in the drunk-driving car accident — except the drunk! It’s really no secret, when you look right at your life, that those who are relaxed do better, and those who are uptight about circumstances have lives that require them to be constantly on guard.

So, if you’re inclined, please follow me as I document my own life circumstances and how my feelings are affecting me. As life unfolds and I put my attention on my feelings, I find depression lifting, relationships improving, and luckier outcomes emerging. It’s amazing how good life can be. This blog is for anyone who has suffered from depression, has a hard life that seems impossible to improve, or just wants to feel better even if life is pretty great right now! I promise to share more secrets and tools you can use as we go forward.